In optical networks with Optical Add/Drop Multiplexers (OADMs) and interconnected mesh topologies, various photonic controllers operate concurrently, such as on a per optical section basis (OADM to adjacent OADM), to maintain spectral shape and to obtain a desired level of performance. Such controllers, categorized either as per channel or spectrum controllers, are analog controllers that work on an analog optical signal as input, use optical channel monitors located either at the start or at the end of an optical section to get necessary feedback, and generate an analog response, which is then used to make proportionate actuator changes to achieve a desired level of analog optical signal at the output. As described herein, a controller is a processing device, apparatus, service, etc. which is implementing a control loop. There can be multiple controllers operating concurrently throughout the optical network, and the technical challenge is maintaining stability since any adjustments can affect in-service traffic carrying channels. To address the concurrent operation, conventional approaches rely on messaging between controllers for coordination or sequential operation. The messaging approach is complex, especially for large mesh networks. The sequential operation is slow to converge and difficult to coordinate in large mesh networks. Other approaches have looked to avoid messaging while preserving parallel operation using damped responses in the associated control loops, the damped responses slow convergence allowing upstream controllers to converge first without coordination, although such method cannot stop ringing effect or amplifying the existing output fluctuations before achieving stability. The challenge for photonic line systems is how to manage the operation of a plurality of controllers operating control loops concurrently and maintaining stability avoiding the limitations of conventional approaches, namely complex messaging, which does not scale in large mesh networks, forced sequential operation which is difficult to coordinate, and damped responses that cannot minimize existing signal fluctuations at the controller output.